Skip to content
News
Link copied to clipboard

The Interview: 'Rowhouse mentality' serves Patrick Murphy well

PATRICK MURPHY survived being a security guard on the 700 Level of Veterans Stadium. He survived deployment in Bosnia and Baghdad with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division following the attacks of 9/11, and he survived the crash of Amtrak 188 last year.

Fireball, a/k/a David Bolger from Allentown, never wore a shirt while cheering the Eagles from the 700 level at Veterans Stadium, including the NFC Championship Game against Tampa Bay in 2003.
Fireball, a/k/a David Bolger from Allentown, never wore a shirt while cheering the Eagles from the 700 level at Veterans Stadium, including the NFC Championship Game against Tampa Bay in 2003.Read moreMichael Wirtz / File Photo

PATRICK MURPHY survived being a security guard on the 700 Level of Veterans Stadium. He survived deployment in Bosnia and Baghdad with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division following the attacks of 9/11, and he survived the crash of Amtrak 188 last year.

Now, as the under secretary of the United States Army - which is that military branch's second-highest civilian position - the Northeast Philadelphia native has the "awesome responsibility" of not only helping the country's soldiers to survive but to thrive.

A 1991 graduate of Archbishop Ryan High School, Murphy represented Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District from 2007 to 2011 and was the first Iraq War veteran elected to Congress. Following his time in office, he was an anchor on MSNBC's "Taking the Hill" and a partner at the Fox-Rothschild law firm.

Murphy was sworn in as under secretary of the Army on Jan. 4, then three days later was appointed acting secretary by President Obama while Obama's nominee, Eric Fanning, awaited congressional approval. Fanning, the first openly gay man to hold the position, received that approval on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he was sworn into office, and Murphy resumed his role as under secretary.

Murphy, 42, lives in Bristol with his wife, Jenni, and their two kids. He spoke to Stephanie Farr recently about his Northeast Philly roots, his service in Congress and the military, and his guardian angel.

Your father, Jack, was a Philadelphia cop and your mother, Marge, was a one-time-nun turned secretary. Did you have a strict upbringing?

I did. I had a choice: Either deliver the Philadelphia Inquirer every morning with my brother or go to 6:30 Mass. I chose a little bit of both.

What effect did Philadelphia have on you and the man you've become?

I learned having a rowhouse mentality is about taking care of the folks on your left and on your right, and that's the same mentality we have in the Army.

In high school, you got a job as a security guard on the 700 Level of Veterans Stadium. What was the wildest thing you witnessed?

My first game I walked an elderly lady up to her seat in the end zone section of the 700, and a 6-foot-4 bald-headed guy grabbed my arms and said, "If you ever walk someone up in the middle of a play again you're not going to be able to walk back down." I learned my lesson. They take their football very seriously, or should I say we.

You were released from active duty in 2004, and in 2005 you ran for Congress at 31 years old with $322 to your name. What was your motivation?

I lost 19 men in my unit in Iraq, and I thought we should refocus our efforts on Afghanistan to bring bin Laden, who had murdered thousands of Americans, to justice.

On May 12, 2015, you were aboard Amtrak 188 when it crashed in Philadelphia. A year later, what thoughts remain with you from that day?

I'm just eternally grateful that I was able to go home and kiss my wife and kids that night. Eight other Americans, including a Naval Academy midshipman, were killed. So I just refocused on living a purpose-driven life.

I'm a big believer in post-traumatic growth - that you have experiences in your life, whether it was my time in Iraq or that train accident, that have given me the confidence to believe in myself.

Do you have a favorite military cadence or marching song?

Any 82nd Airborne paratrooper knows the cadence "C130 Rolling Down the Strip," but when I was pulling cadence at Fort Hood my second week on the job, the one I sang was "When I Get to Heaven."

In your opinion, what is the greatest risk you've ever taken in life?

I think it was the first time I jumped out of a perfectly fine airplane with an M4 rifle strapped on me and combat gear.

Given all you've survived, do you believe you have a Clarence somewhere, a guardian angel watching out for you?

No doubt. I'm named after Patrick Ward, who gave the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam, and I have no doubt he's an angel up in heaven smiling down on me. He was my mom's best friend.

You recently approved the use of headphones for soldiers while they exercise. What do you listen to while you exercise?

Usually when I'm exercising it's more Beyonce and LL Cool J - a little new school and old school.